Stateroom attendants dishonesty

[Guern69]

I recently throughly enjoyed my first Cruise with Celebrity but the holiday was slightly marred by what happened on the last full day.

 

On the final evening the Cabin Steward asked if he could turn down the room just as I was heading out, I returned within 30 mins to put some water in the fridge. I noticed a can of drink had been opened and partially drunk/emptied. Is this usual practice to earn a little bit extra? This left a bitter taste in the mouth, which was soon sorted by Customer Services but really was a dishonest thing to do. It also cost him his tip as there was no way he was going to get that after his dishonest behaviour. I wonder if he did this to anyone else?

 

Is it worth contacting Celebrity direct as apart from apologising and refunding the money there was little else Customer Services could do. But dishonestly should be punished?

[Sloop-JohnB]

Ok I get the fact that you found a drink partially emptied In your fridge...

 

But are you ABSOLUTELY POSITIVE who did it ? And what their intentions were ?

 

Just cause you found it on the last night, does not necessarily mean it happened that day... Or that it was him (have to remember that there are 2 Stewards for every cabin)

 

A pop is $ 2 or $ 3 from the Mini Bar

 

Don't really believe that a Room Steward would "steal" you blind over this

 

Heck, he's the one to lock & load the Fridge... Maybe his intention was not to bill you at all... But rather to replace it when he did his rounds (did it actually show up on your Invoice ? )

 

Plus, a cruise is a long time... And you are on vacation, so in a very relaxed mode

 

If this was us, I would be more prone to think one of us (me or Mr Sloop) gulped down 1/2 a can a pop somewhere along the course of the cruise, and forgot about it

 

Lol, late night dehydration... Or after a night at the Martini Bar, easy to do and "forget" every little thing

 

And If i was CERTAIN it was not one of us... I most likely would have taken it up with my Cabin Steward personally (gotten his side of he story) before I went to Guest Services to report the "incident"

 

But then I am the sort of person who likes to think the best of people and give them the benefit of the doubt, if they have previously given me no reason to think otherwise.

 

Just my 2 cents

 

Cheers!

Edited October 31, 2014 by Sloop-JohnB

[ECCruise]

Color me confused.

 

First you say "can of drink". Whose was it? Yours? The mini-bars? Then you said partially drunk/emptied? Which was that? Partially drunk or emptied? Then you ask "is this a way to make a little bit extra". How would that work?

 

What money was refunded? You've already contacted Customer Services and left no tip, wondering what else you would want done?

[Crazy Cruzer]

OMG! :eek: Was that your cabin?

I was wondering what happened to the half can of drink I thought I remembered leaving in the fridge:confused:

Edited October 31, 2014 by Crazy Cruzer

[AmberCascades]

Sounds bizarre to me. Why would they do that? Just to get a "free" drink from you? Knowing their jobs might be at stake? They certainly wouldn't make money of this little venture.

 

I'd also be inclined to ask the steward about it first.

 

OTOH, it's a good excuse to stiff the steward out of a tip. Even if they were amazing every other day of the cruise.

[Onessa]

OMG! :eek: Was that your cabin?

I was wondering what happened to the half can of drink I thought I remembered leaving in the fridge:confused:

LOL

 

But I too am a bit confused and also would have either asked the room steward or "waited" to find out what happened -- it was very possibily ver innocent and not any sort of deception involved at all.

[serene56]

a tip on that can of soda is what? less then 20 cents?

so you stiffed him on the entire tip he deserved because of an oversite?

 

 

wowsers

 

:eek:

[phoenix_dream]

Strange post. The room steward would have had no incentive to take and consume a can of soda from the mini-bar. They gain nothing other than a quick thirst quench, and they risk losing their job. Doesn't sound like a balanced risk to me. I would have asked the steward also - he/she could have taken it with the intention of replacing it and forgot. To stiff them out of the tips because of a very odd incident without even asking them seems extreme to me.

[CruisingChick]

I am just glad I'm not the only one confused by this post.

[tnfcruise]

Agree with all the responders and I think the topic heading is overreaching, too.

 

And, Mrs. Sloop, I really like your style...you always state your opinions clearly, often with logical "could it be?" options and you're never snarky, no matter how odd, outrageous or off-base the poster might be. Thanks.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[Guern69]

Who else could it have been as nobody else had access to the cabin?

 

The total charge was $9.50 so not a huge sum but it's the principal.

 

One can had been opened and half-emptied whether drunk or whatever. Sorry if that was not clear in the original post.

[Guern69]

I had asked for the fridge to be emptied as had no intention to drink from it and just wanted to store extra water as I drink a lot of it.

[Guern69]

I had pre-paid tips so was not necessary to tip extra unless it was for any extras etc.

[ECCruise]

Who else could it have been as nobody else had access to the cabin?

 

The total charge was $9.50 so not a huge sum but it's the principal.

 

One can had been opened and half-emptied whether drunk or whatever. Sorry if that was not clear in the original post.

 

What was it a can of that cost $9.50? And if appears that the amount was refunded to you, am I understanding that right?

 

Help us a bit here.

 

Edit: OK, you are helping a bit. You say you had pre-paid tips but you also say the incident "cost him his tip." How did you accomplish that? You say you had the mini-bar emptied so where did the can come from?

Edited October 31, 2014 by ECCruise

[jkgourmet]

Personally, I suspect the OP has been dipping into the liquor cabinet a bit too much. . .

 

Cheers!

Edited October 31, 2014 by jkgourmet

[AmberCascades]

I'm still confused. Did you ask that it be emptied at the beginning of the cruise? If so, I would assume by "the last full day" that there would be nothing in your fridge other than water. If that was the case, I too would wonder where the can came from.

 

My first impulse would have been to ask the steward. If it had been charged to my account then I would have asked guest services to reverse it, since it was added in error.

 

At no time would I suspect the steward of some nefarious motive and take away their tip without asking even one question. I would be puzzled by the appearance of a can in the fridge though. That would have definitely prompted me to ask a question.

[gimletgal]

I had asked for the fridge to be emptied as had no intention to drink from it and just wanted to store extra water as I drink a lot of it.

 

If the fridge had been emptied the first day of the cruise, as per your request, where did the can of "whatever" (soda/beer?) come from? Can't imagine anyone wanting to drink it warm.

 

Sorry, but much to do about nothing. Charges that are mistakes happen from time to time. You got your $9.50 back. Problem solved. Time to move on. And since you never talked to your room steward about it, who knows where the can came from?

[CruisingChick]

If the fridge had been emptied the first day of the cruise, as per your request, where did the can of "whatever" (soda/beer?) come from? Can't imagine anyone wanting to drink it warm.

 

Sorry, but much to do about nothing. Charges that are mistakes happen from time to time. You got your $9.50 back. Problem solved. Time to move on. And since you never talked to your room steward about it, who knows where the can came from?

 

And what soda, or beer for that matter, costs $9.50? I know prices went up, but I don't think they went up that much. :confused:

[Guern69]

The drink was opened was a club soda, I am guessing that the charge related to other drinks too.

 

I can say 100% that I did not drink or open it, I have never drunk club sodas.

 

I asked for the fridge to be emptied yes, but he left the drinks on the shelves and some in the fridge and said I had room for my water.

[AmberCascades]

Is it worth contacting Celebrity direct as apart from apologising and refunding the money there was little else Customer Services could do. But dishonestly should be punished?

 

To answer your original question, I would say no. They apologized and refunded the money.

 

What sort of punishment did you have in mind? You don't even know what happened or why it was there. Seems a bit extreme and vindictive to seek to ruin someone's life because of a can of club soda.

[ECCruise]

And please answer about the tips: If you pre-paid the tips, how did you "cost him his tip?" Please clear that up for us.

[excitedofharpenden]

Regardless of what you experienced and to put the minds to rest of those that are new to Celebrity and may worry, I have NEVER had an issue with the honesty of employees onboard ship. It's more than their job's worth. I freely admit I'm an easy target. I leave electronics out and money and change around. Nothing has ever happened to cause concern or change my security habits.

 

Phil

[Guern69]

I had put aside a small tip as I had up to that point been pleased with his work and know they work very hard and long hours.

[HardToPort]

I recently throughly enjoyed my first Cruise with Celebrity but the holiday was slightly marred by what happened on the last full day.

 

On the final evening the Cabin Steward asked if he could turn down the room just as I was heading out, I returned within 30 mins to put some water in the fridge. I noticed a can of drink had been opened and partially drunk/emptied. Is this usual practice to earn a little bit extra? This left a bitter taste in the mouth, which was soon sorted by Customer Services but really was a dishonest thing to do. It also cost him his tip as there was no way he was going to get that after his dishonest behaviour. I wonder if he did this to anyone else?

 

Is it worth contacting Celebrity direct as apart from apologising and refunding the money there was little else Customer Services could do. But dishonestly should be punished?

 

Guernsey,

I know musicians who have played cruise ships. The entertainers and crew have their own bar belowdecks and they pay pennies for drinks compared to us paying guests. There is absolutely no incentive whatsoever for a cabin steward to do this. It is also possible that he found a partially consumed can in your stateroom and put it in the refrigerator. That has happened to me on occasion when I grab a beer as a nightcap and fall asleep before drinking it.

 

I infer from your post, and I hope I'm wrong, that you just assumed the worst and acted accordingly as opposed to asking him the simple question, "How did this get in my fridge?". It just seems to me that there are key details missing in your story.

 

I have received nothing but outstanding service regardless of the cruiseline. I also go out of my way to greet every crew member by name, smile brightly, and tip well.

 

I don't like the fact that crews are paid a pittance ($50 to $500 monthly depending on their duties) and rely on gratuities for the bulk of their income ... but that is the cruising business model and I would think long and hard before I lessen my tip amounts. I prepay my grats and I tip my steward and MDR Team extra.

 

As far as pursuing this further with Celebrity, with all due respect, I can't imagine a more spiteful thing to do. For me, and again with all due respect, this doesn't pass the sniff test.

 

Cheers!

HTP

:cool:

[Queen of Oakville]

Did you ever discuss the incident with him? Is it possible that he had his own soft drink with him to keep hydrated while working? Perhaps he had to leave your cabin suddenly and put the soft drink in the fridge to keep it cold until he returned?

 

Since you asked to have the fridge cleared, there should not have been any soda in the fridge.

 

What i'm confused about is the $9.50; what was that for? Was that the minibar charge? Are you saying that he drank a can of soda and intentionally billed you for it? If so, that is a different story and not made very clear in your original post.